The contenders for health minister

“I’m concerned about someone taking over the health portfolio who has never expressed a vision for health in this country, who has had years to be clear about what he stands for, what his priorities would be, what he would cut to fund his priorities? What are the big challenges? What do you think the successes of the system are? Nobody knows the answers to any of these questions."

Factoid Aged 43 and of Slovenian descent, Plibersek holds a master’s degree in politics and public policy from Macquarie University. She is married to senior NSW public servant Michael Coutts-Trotter and has three children. She is an avid cook, preparing stuffed zucchini flowers for Annabel Crabb on ABC’s Kitchen Cabinet program.

Peter Dutton

“The big discussion that is really upon us is how to provide greater support to primary care. And we’ve said before, we want to rebuild general practice and primary care.

We genuinely believe it’s good public policy to try and beef up the primary care response so that we can keep people out of hospitals."

FactoidA former policeman, Dutton controversially tried to move seats when a boundary change in his electorate of Dickson in the outer suburbs of Brisbane threatened his prospects in the 2010 election. He was denied the chance to move and held on with a 5.1 per cent margin. Dutton was one of the youngest ministers since Federation when appointed to the portfolio of Workforce Participation in 2004.